Code: Pulse
by Silver-Serval
Summary: Sequel to Code: Capture. It's the year 2009, and XANA has taken control of the world. Will they save the world, or die in the process? Rated for lauguage and atempted suicide.
1. The Pulse

_Code: Pulse_

_By: Silver-Serval_

**Disclaimer**- Nope, I still don't own this anime or even another fav. of mine... so sad...

**Summary**- Sequel to Code: Capture. XANA is in control of the world and the only ones who can set it right are all under mind tap. Well, all except Odd Della Robia and the only people- just so happening to be two girls- to know his secret since... well, a very long time. Now that they know, to Odd's delight, they will do anything to help set the world right again. Now with a friend and companion to help with his plight, will one who set out long ago to save his friends finally accomplish his mission?

**Author's Note**- This just seemed to hit me for no reason in my sixth hour period on Feb 27th. And what makes it a miracle is that I can barely hear myself think because of my conscious and subconscious fighting all the time... They happened, at the time, to be fighting about whether I should ask this certain guy to the next school dance, and well with my super-smart subconscious mind saying yes and the idiot of my conscious mind saying no, we all should know how this ends... Hopefully... Please people, R & R! I love feed back!

-:-

It's the year 2009 and the world is now mostly under the rule of a cybernetic being only known as "XANA" But, not many even know it by that, all because of an incident involving televisions and blood shed. Lots of blood shed... Oh, and did I happen to mention, well, you might just find out soon enough...

-:-

A young boy with hair a yellow as the sun with a dip of purple in the center of it all stood staring at his surroundings.

"Hello out there!" he called as the light breeze carried to him the scent of the coming rain.

A female giggle behind him made him spin around to smile at her unique red and silver hair and in different attitude,"It's almost time to set up camp. Taka says she found us a place to say tonight and tomorrow while we get supples."

"Joy. I hope that this time there aren't any big dogs trying to chase her in the middle of the night." growled Odd as he thought of his poor lost sleep.

"Nope! I'm going to bring our stuff over there, okay? Okay!" replied a happy voice from not too far off as she wandered off towards the house down the hill from where Odd and Kari stood.

Kari walked up and put a hand on Odd's shoulder,"Odd, Aelita will be fine. We both know that I'm going to help you find her, not to mention Taka. Just please, don't worry."

Odd turned to face her and gave her a hug whispering,"I know, but I was supposed to protect her. And it's only Ulrich, Aelita, and I , now that XANA killed Yumi. What if XANA kills Aelita too!" Kari just hugged him tighter as he let his fears consume him.

She only offered this advice,"XANA won't kill Aelita, because that's the only thing besides Ulrich that it has to draw you in. XANA wants you. Think about it. Not very long ago, you said XANA hated you because you have been in middle school with extremely low grades, and you were whooping it's butt! Aelita will be fine."

Odd just rubbed his nose in reply before saying,"Kari Garasu, you seem to know what to say and when."

Kari just giggled,"T'is a gift I got from a very weird boy named Odd Della Robia, my first friend!" At this Odd thumped her lightly on the head and began running down the hill in an uncontrolled manner. Kari smiled and whispered,"Idiot." Then the wind blew, stealing the words as the left her mouth.

Down at the bottom of the hill, Taka was introducing Odd and Kari to the elderly couple who they would be staying with for the next two days,"Kari, Odd, meet Mr. and Mrs. Chijifu. Mr. and Mrs. Chijiifu, this is my sister Kari Garasu, and her friend Odd Deiller Rodia."

Odd thumped her on the head,"My name's Odd Della Robia, nice to meet you."

Kari smiled kindly,"Thank you so much for letting us stay here while we gather supplies and such. We greatly appreciate it."

Mrs. Chijifu smiled in a grand motherly type way and said,"We're glad to have you. Buin and I don't get very many visitors, every since that XANA killed our three daughters and their families."

Kari gasped,"Oh, Mrs. Chijifu, we're so sorry to hear that!"

Mr. Chijifu, also known as Buin, smiled gently at Kari through his glasses,"Child, it's fine. At least they don't have to live with XANA's control over their heads. Besides, Gloria and I get along by ourselves very well." Mrs. Chijifu, also known as Gloria, just smiled a sad smile and walked inside to start dinner. Taka began to thank Buin again for the generous offer and she then walked inside to help Gloria in the kitchen.

For a moment longer, Kari stood outside with Odd,"Another two lives, ruined by XANA's evil empire."

"Yup." commented Odd as he glanced towards the first star of the night.

"I just wish we could help them."

"Yup." replied Odd monotonously.

"I wonder if we can."

"Yup."

"And then I can send you off to get married to a fat chick living in a remote part ofAustralia who has direct contact with XANA."

At this Odd snapped his head down from wishing on the star above him and looked at her,"What?"

Kari just giggled at his clueless face,"Just wanted to know if you were actually listening to my out loud musings."

"Oh." said Odd carelessly as he glanced back up towards the star still struggling to keep light in the darkening skyline as the rain tried to control the sky,"Then no." Kari saw the rain before it hit them. She immediately grabbed Odd and pulled him backwards into the shelter of the screened in porch.

"I just love the rain." said Kari as she watched it fall."

"I don't." said Odd as he tried to dry his poor, wet hair.

"I know. I like the lightning too! So beautiful, but yet so deadly."

"Whatever." said Odd as he managed to halfway dry it and walk inside. A few minutes later, Kari joined them to find AMELIA in the kitchen as Gloria watched the news in the other room with Buin.

Kari sighed as she saw Taka toss the potato peeler at her,"Your turn. I think it hates me." Kari just sighed and finished Taka's job. Suddenly, the lights flashed and a sudden shrill noise pounded through the house. Kari and Taka plugged their ears and dropped to their knees in mindless pain. After it stopped, Kari heard weird noises coming from the living room. Thus so, she dashing in only to find chaos.

Odd was battling with Buin who was trying to bite Odd's arm,"Kari! Watch out!" Odd shouted as Gloria jumped on Kari's back. Kari reached down and grabbed the two daggers she kept on her legs and tossed one to Odd who caught it and stabbed Buin in the head. Kari then shoved her's into what she thought was Gloria's right eye. After the noises stopped, Taka came out of the kitchen and began to vomit at the site that met her innocent eyes.

There on the floor was Buin and Gloria Chijifu with blank red eyes and the symbol all to well known on their foreheads.

Kari left Taka to get rid of her lunch and asked Odd who was slightly green in the face,"Odd? what the hell just happened?

Odd put and hand on her shoulder and spun her around to see the symbol pasted to the flickering TV screen,"XANA. What I'm guessing is that the sound was a broadcast and anyone watching it became like the Chijifus. Not sure why I'm not like that, but I'd say that we just killed two defenseless people turned insane. Kari? Oh man, don't tell me you need to be sick too!"

Kari grinned weakly in his direction,"Considering that I just killed someone, I feel like throwing up." That was when it happened, Kari suddenly felt very strange. She felt her clothing pretty much melt into something else. She looked down only to find she was not in her clothing, but in another different set, clean and ready to go. She looked at Odd and nearly screamed, for he wasn't wearing his normal clothing either. No, it seemed as if he was wearing what he called his Lyokian attire. Just then, Odd was struck with a vision.

"Kari?" he called weakly,"It's Aelita, she's sending me one of me mind messages. She's saying that XANA sent out a broadcast over the television and anyone watching it at the sound of the whatever that was turned into a zombie. Anyone listening to it was turned insane. I obviously didn't get sick or nothing because I'm already insane, or something of the sort. She also says, Kari, welcome to the life of Lyoko. You have two leg daggers, two swords, and mind speech from the thingy in your forehead. Any questions?"

Taka walked over and dropped beside Kari muttering,"I'm one too aren't I." It was more of a statement than a question. When Odd nodded, Taka smiled and fainted. Kari just smiled kindly before she too fell asleep beside her sister. The days of the post-Pulse had just begun.

-:-

Silver-Serval: Everyone, remember, social studies classes do weird things to your minds. They always do.

Sorrel: Yup. Guys, this is the first fic that Silver-Serval put up that is going to be a chapter fic.

Silver-Serval: I promise to try my best and make it long. If you have any constructive criticism, please tell me. I need feed back. Thanks! Would anyone mind leaving a review? I try really hard to make it good!


	2. And The Blood Falls

**Code: Pulse **

**Chapter Two- And the Blood Falls **

**By: _Silver-Serval_**

**_Disclaimer-_** Elle, Kari, and Taka Garasu are my characters. Aelita, Ulrich, Odd, and any other person in the Lyoko gang I mention belongs to somebody else. Not me. I realy hope you like it, and this chapter was mostly made in this way because I sorta had something I was angry at, so yeah... I really hope you like it! R & R!

* * *

In the cold hours of pre-dawn, three small and tired bodies raced across the undergrowth of a large forest. Their breath came in ragged gasps as the tried to out-run their adversaries. Odd Della Robia, Taka Garasu, and Kari Garasu dashed out of the dense undergrowth with around ten zombies after them. They continued to run, except now that they were on a road, more zombies joined the ever-growing pack behind them. Finally, Kari saw a building a few hundred yards away. They all gave a sigh of relief and charged ahead with full power. That was when Taka fell.

She gave a sharp cry drawing Kari's attention to her who immediately started back to help her. At the precise moment the zombies reached Taka, a black blur flew out of the forest and hit the one nearest to Taka in the back. Kari ran faster in fear that the black thing was after them too. When she reached Taka, Kari picked her up and began to run again. Soon the black thing was beside her.

This was when Kari saw what it really was and muttered,"Midnight..." The wolf looked up at its master and grinned impishly. Odd was on the steps when Kari ran up with Taka and Midnight. He looked at Kari as if saying,"_Do I want to know?_ Kari grinned in reply. Odd shook his head as they all clambered inside and slammed the door shut in the readily appearing zombie's faces.

Later that night Odd was sitting beside the fireplace as Kari sat beside the wolf on the rug in front of him. Taka was asleep on the couch.

"So, how do you know that wolf Kari?" asked Odd finally.

Kari smiled,"Around the time XANA took control over the world, about six months before Taka and I met you, my sister Elle, Taka and I were out in a grove of tree looking for stuff to help Taka make a game with since she needed to make one for her English class. I was all alone because Taka had wandered over near the stream an Elle was making the picnic ready and all when I heard a howl. I began to follow it when I saw a cave in the wall on the hillside. I walked over and inside were dead wolves and this little live baby, except, at that time Midnight was much smaller. I decided to pick her up and that was when we sort of bonded. After I managed to talk my parents into it, they allowed me to care for the little girl. She ended up sleeping on my bed at night. She was like our little watch dog, but..." Kari's voice trailed off, allowing Odd to understand what happened.

"I'm sorry Kari." he whispered.

She sighed and punched him lightly in the arm,"Don't go sentimental on me Oddsworth. I don't want to have to care for you and Taka. She can barely walk right now."

Odd held up his hands in mock defeat,"I give, I give. No more guilt trip!" Kari laughed and put and hand on his hair to ruffle it. He just grinned and leaned into the touch. He was part cat anyway, so it was just fine with him.

Kari grinned and flopped back down by the fire saying,"So, you never explained where we were going earlier."

Odd sighed,"We're going after XANA. Ulrich and Aelita are still there with it and we sorta need to get there before they die like Yumi did..." His eyes immediately went downcast and his temper sullen. Kari sighed and began her long process of comforting the poor boy. All of his friends were either hurt or dead. Poor Odd.

-:-

A few hours later, Kari was slumbering deeply against the side of her wolf Midnight when Odd got up and began to move around. He walked into the bathroom at the back of the house and drug the contents of the medicine cab nit into the light, searching until a razor came into sight. Then with careful precision, he grabbed it and put the rest away.

Carefully, he then lightly cut the skin on his wrist. As it passed over it, it left a very thin, white line in its wake. He then relished the pain and welcomed more with open arms. He began to cut deeper until his left arm resembled slashed ribbons. Then he followed suit with the right arm. He watched the blood pool onto the floor until it resembled alake of his life force, and even then, he felt it draining away.

In interesting fascination, he watched in pool into an ever larger lake-turning-sea. Suddenly, his legs went numb. Then he couldn't feel his arms any more either, for as he looked down to where his hands would have been, they were covered in his blood. A sudden ache rose in his throat and he tried to fight back a groan as he suddenly knew he was going to die. Here he was with super-powers of a sort and he couldn't even call for help because... why? Why couldn't he?

_"It's because you're afraid."_ whispered his conscious mind as he drifted off even more,_"You're afraid that your new friends will hate you and scorn you. You don't want them to know because you hate feeling weak and even your friend Taka, the one you like, would scorn you. Maybe she'd even hate you. You are afraid. Confront that fear."_

Odd shook his head weakly. He didn't want them to know because he just didn't, plain and simple. His conscious just smiled and whispered in his head,_"Whatever."_ Then, the world spun as Odd quickly stood and fell. The blood that had just rushed to his head rushed through and hit his wrists which made him surprised he was still alive. Then right as the thought crossed his mind, he blacked out.

-:-

Neither Kari norTaka awoke when a sudden crash came from the bathroom down the hall. The only change in movement was the prick of a wolf's ear.

-:-

Far away, two girls and a boy sat by the pitiful fire they had just finished creating. One girl with short pink hair smiled and sagged against the shoulder of the brown haired boy next to her.The boy named Ulrich sat staring into the fire as memories of the night not too long ago pounded his brain.

_He and Yumi had just stepped out of the scanner when three or four shots to their backside shoved them to the ground. Ulrich jumped up and spun around only to find XANA waiting. He then looked behind XANA to find Jeremy sitting against the wall with an old fashioned pen in his eye. Ulrich grimaced and turned his head to the ground to avoid the sight, but now that he had seen it, it was going to be engraved behind his closed eyes forever. A sharp blow was then delt to his head where he fell into unconsciousness. Yumi was the same. A fewdays later, they awoke to find themselves sitting next to a girl in atraveling prison. Withthis strange girlwas... AELITA! _

_After Aelita them as much info as she could, the newest girl told her story. It was not very pretty. Blood, gore, the near beheading of her sisters... Yeah, real pretty. About a year later, XANA came in, got Yumi, and went out. XANA didn't come back. Neither did Yumi... Anyway, the girl's name was Elle Garasu and she knew her sisters were with Odd, and you know what? They were coming to rescue them. Eventually..._

After a quick jolt to his brain, Ulrich Stern awoke to the sound of the falling rain outside the traveling prison. The only sounds were Elle's quiet breaths, Aelita's sharp breathing, and the pounding thunder and lightning. Ulrich sighed and lay his head against the jolting wall and tried to fall asleep. His ploy eventually worked as he drifted off into a deep slumber.

-:-

Six lives crashed through the downpour of that night's storm. Kari Garasu and Taka Garasu asleep on the couch and floor of the be-damned house where their best friend lay dying on the floor. Ulrich Stern deep in his thoughts was being driven off to his unlikely doom. Aelita Stonesand Elle Garasu sleeping unaware of the strain in the world. And Odd Della Robia lying in a sea of his own blood as he continued on his way to death's door not even two hundred yards from where Taka and Kari slept.


	3. Wait Till The Rain Falls Red

**Chapter 3- Wait Till the Rain Falls Red**

It's the year 2009 and the world is now mostly under the rule of a cybernetic being known as XANA. But, due to some unseen actions involving televisions and blood shed, the entire world seems to know.

**-:-**

In the deserted country-side of Orfion, New Hampshire, Taka Garasu awoke with a startled gasp. As she sat up from the couch, the vision of her very real and very life-like dream faded away to nothing. Clouded and dazed, her mind wandered through various sections of what she remembered.

The splatter from a red substance, the inhuman moans of the zombies, a blood-chilling cry from the bathroom, a wailing sound- a cry from the bathroom!

Taka's head shot up from her knees and she looked down the hall where her eyes eventually rested on the light under the bathroom door. Taka smiled and lay back on the couch. Odd must be in the bathroom. It could only be him, as Kari was sleeping on the floor next to Midnight. Taka closed her eyes as the gale-force wind yet again battered the house and zombies.

A while later, Taka again awoke to the cry, except now it was weaker. She looked down the hall and saw the light was still on. She then frowned and stood up. From here, the zombies' moans were audible as the fought the wind outside. Finally, Taka's curiosity got the better of her and she wandered down the hall. Right in front of the bathroom, she encountered a puddle of something wet, thinking it was just the rain leaking in somewhere.

When she opened the door, she knew she was wrong, very wrong. And the sight that met her eyes was wrong too. She stopped a few feet away, in tharn from the sight held in her eyes.

There lay Odd Della Robia, her loved Odd, lying in an ocean of his own blood. Breaking out of her tharn, Taka gasped and dashed over to his side where she immediately dropped and checked for a pulse. She found none. At this, her light red eyes bean to water and she started to cry onto his stained shirt for which she clung to for dear life, as if it were her life-line to bringing him back.

As she sobbed unhappily into his shirt, she never noticed through the tears that Odd's hands were twitching slightly as he unconsciously tried to comfort her.

A while later, the sound of sharp nails clicking on the hallway surface and a nervous whimper reached her ears. Midnight had stepped up beside her, felling the pain the tortured young Taka's soul. Taka stopped crying long enough to turn to the side and pet Midnight for a second before turning back around to sob again. At this, Midnight let out a low howl and exited the room with a quick shuffle.

For the next few hours, Taka whispered in a voice gone raspy with sadness about her adventures with her sisters and of a few things that she'd wanted to do before The Pulse had occurred. She spoke of how she could barely remember what her mom's face looked like, and how evil her dad had been. How she wondered if her dad was one of them…

When her voice had dropped so low from sadness that even Taka couldn't hear it, she reached down and picked up his hand, thinking that by now it would be cold, only to find it still pleasantly warm. She gasped in surprise and lay a finger on his wrist before smiling in bliss, somewhere, Odd's heart was still beating.

Taka cried out in joy and hugged him muttering, "Oh gods alive… Odd, you're still alive… it's a miracle… not caring that her long white hair had fallen into the blood, giving it bloody tips. Taka continued crying until he suddenly felt Odd reach him hand up and slowly settle it on her right shoulder.

"Odd!" Taka gasped and pulled away, a hint of a blush rising to her cheeks.

Odd opened his eyes slowly, asking in a weak voice, "T-Taka?"

At this, Taka nearly screamed in joy, "Odd! You're alive! Are you okay? What happened!" Taka's face was consumed with worry as she stood up to find bandages and medicine for pain killers and to stop the bleeding. When all was found, she sat back beside him to dress his wrists, waiting for an answer.

"Taka…" began Odd slowly, "I'm s-so sorry. I-I just wanted away from the p-pain and… that was the quickest way I s-s-saw… Just a c-couple cuts, nothing more. B-but, I just felt as if I n-needed p-punishment for letting my friends die s-s-so long ago. Jeremy died from XANA Yumi d-died because I too slow… and for all I know, Aelita and Ulrich are lying in a ditch somewhere, b-bloodied and b-broken, left for dead… and it would be all my fault. And I guess I got angry, so I took it out on myself." Odd didn't meet Taka's eyes as he gave his half-assed explanation. If he would have, then he would have felt a radiating sorrow emitting from her flushed face and tearful eyes.

"So," Taka said eventually, her voice not revealing anything, "I want to know something."

"What." Said Odd slowly, bracing himself for horrible questions only to find one pure and simple, 'wanting to know.'

"You died, but yet you live. Meaning you didn't die. So how did you die, but how are you alive again?"

Odd could have giggled, "I died, but there was this blue light that kept me from the darkness, and it kept the darkness away from me. And when the light tried to leave, I sort of followed it." Odd trailed off sheepishly, thinking that Taka was too silent and she must have thought he was insane. Odd looked up at Taka too see her crying, not in sadness, but in joy.

"I don't know what happened, but I'm glad you're back Odd."

"Me too." whispered Odd happily.

"Odd, if you need to do anything like that again, please tell me. It hurt to see you in a pool of blood." Taka ment to say something nice to him, something like how she was going to help him find Aelita and Ulrich. How both of them were still alive. But no, she said something that would come off as she was angry at him.

Odd gave her hug, "Either way, I'm her to save my loved ones thanks to you. Thank you very much Taka." Odd's voice dropped and he curled up, his breathing regular showed that he was asleep while his body fixed the damage he'd done.

Taka just smiled and muttered, "I want to be one of those loved ones Odd…." She began to slowly clean the mess and finally, she turned off the light and snuggled close to Odd for warmth muttering, "G'night Odd, I really do love you, and I'll never be afraid to admit it, even to you." In the dark, Odd unconsciously smiled as the words registered in his brain, even though he might not remember it later.

The door opened slightly and the face of Kari Garasu peered in. She gave a grin and closed the door again. She then walked back to Midnight and rebuilt the fire. Once it had flared into life, Kari smiled and turned to Midnight.

"It seems we need to give them some alone time more often. They'd make a good match, don't you think?" Kari grinned as Midnight nodded.

Kari then smiled wider and settled back down, head resting on Midnight's side as she set a mental timer so she'd wake up and make sure that Taka had gone back to her bed before Odd woke up.

**-:-**

In the dark of the prison that XANA had thrown them in, Ulrich moaned sharply, earlier he'd landed wrong and his leg had broken. Both Elle and Aelita had tied it up, making a cast of sorts, but they were afraid that I wasn't going to be of any help. And from what Ulrich kept muttering, there was something wrong with Odd.

Aelita gave Elle a scared look when the word 'died' and 'Odd' appeared in the same sentence.

Elle hugged Aelita tightly, "Don't worry, Taka and Kari won't let him die. They're too head-strong." Aelita hugged back and the sat in silence, listening to Ulrich moan from the pain emitting from his leg and mind.

Then a sharp light cut through the darkness and a loud thud was heard. When the door slammed shut, Elle got up and walked to what had just joined them in their prison.

Elle came back, a worried look on her face. She shook her head, signaling that she didn't know what happened or who it was. Aelita sighed and curled her knees toward her chest, watching the unmoving lump and listening to Ulrich's pain.

Elle did the same, but her mind was different. She'd been here much longer than the others, and she knew that anyone thrown in here didn't have much chance to survive if they didn't get back up like both Aelita and Ulrich had. Yumi had too, but… Elle's mind blocked that thought before it finished.

So Elle sat there, hopeful that the new person would live. Maybe he or she could help them get out, when the time was right of course.

**-:-:-:-**

**-:-:-**

**-:-**

**_Silver-Serval-_** _Hey all. How are ya? I'm very sorry I haven't updated in ages. School's such a hassle with homework every night and such. We had over twenty tests since the beginning on school on August 16. So flipping fun. I apologize again for not updating sooner. But I have an announcement. I'm going to try and update once every month. It'll be easier once I'm home with my dad on the weekends._

_So again, please forgive me. I'm just an author. By the way, constructive criticism is loved and flames are ignored. I take it to heart that you actually read my fics and review, so thanks to all who reviewed last chapter!_


	4. Porcelain Lolita

_**Chapter 4 - Porcelain Lolita**_

Kari yawned softly, slowly opening her eyes to gaze blankly at the now mostly dead fire. The room was sorta chilly, it wasn't long before Kari sighed, scrambling to her feet to go and poke at the blackened coals. "C'mon, you stupid thing. Catch fire and get me warm." The fire merely sparked in retort, almost like it refused to catch fire until she was kind to it. Kari fumed, carefully shoving a bit of paper and drier lint in the warm area near the coals. Only when it sparked again, signaling it's cooperation, did she start nursing it into existence. 

When the fire, tiny as it was, finally existed, she built it up, quite sure they'd not leave until much later. And after that, she stood upright, dusting off her legs. "Much better." Her voice made Midnight look up. Kari just smiled, "Be back in a moment." Midnight made a _whuffing_ sound and closed her eyes as Kari snuck down the hallway to the bathroom where Odd and Taka had spent the night.

Silently, almost like she'd become a grave-robber, Kari opened the bathroom door, her blue eyes dancing with merriment. Slowly, she managed to scop Taka up without disturbing poor Odd, then she slipped back out, heading back into the living room which was now quite toasty. Laying Taka beside Midnight, Kari then resumed walking through the house, taking inventory of what they'd need.

In one room, the first left door in the hallway to the bathroom, Kari found a bedroom. It wasn't big, fit as a guestroom more than anything else, and boxes were piled high in the corners. A closet ran along one side of the room, and opposite that on the opposite wall, a bed with a night stand beside it sat, aged and dusty.

Kari 'hmmmed' and wandered to the closest door, hesitating a moment before yanking it open. She barely had time to inhale sharply before she was covered in a mound of clothing. Digging her way out was hard, especially because after she managed to claw one blasted skirt away from her eyes, a blouse replaced it.

"Holy craaaap..." her voice was muffled, but she was fairly sure that Taka would hear it. After ten minutes or so when no one came to assist her, Kari slowly dragged herself free of the clothing mound, staring at it like the pile would move faster than lightning and eat her again in one giant gulp.

Heedful of the evil clothing pile, Kari edged to her feet, gripping the end of the bed until she was standing, then she made her way towards it, already eyeing the clothing, trying to estimate what would fit and what wouldn't. When she was right beside it, she crouched down, resting on the balls of her feet, heels in the air. Then, with on hand, she began picking through the clothing.

Nothing would fit, she soon realized with a mournful sigh. _How unfortunate..._ Suddenly, a splash of purple in the light pastel colors made Kari do a double-take. "What the hell..." She grabbed at it, pulling out a purple hoodie. Beneath that rested a folded up blue hoodie and a red one in a smaller size. "This is so queer... So insanely odd..." Kari backed out of the room, neatly closing the door behind her with her foot, taking the three hoodies back to the couch where she'd flop them and resume her house-check.

Kari went into the room opposite the one she'd cleverly dubbed 'Clothing Doom Room'. It too was a bedroom, but this one looked to be a little girl's. There was a four-poster bed in the corner of the room, covered by a pink - yes, pink - quilt with four tiny, pink pillows that looked extremely comfortable. On the bed was also a pretty little porcelain doll with a deathly pale face and blood red lips that made you think she was remotely related to a vampire. The doll was in a Lolita-style outfit, black folds and black lace everywhere. But the haphazardness of the dress only made the doll prettier in it's own rights. The doll's hair, once a beautifully, curly strawberry-blonde, was now a darker blonde, very dusty, too.

Kari stepped closer to the bed, staring transfixed at the doll, "She's so pretty..." She reached out hesitantly, her right hand trembling with fear. _For all I know, if I pick the doll up, it'll fall apart... It could be a hundred years old, a collector's piece... And I'd never know until it was shattered on the ground._ Yanking her hand back, Kari sharply scolded herself for thinking like that.

The closet was right next to the bed, so Kari had to exert iron will not to touch the delicate Lolita doll. There wasn't anything in the closet of value, not even a pair of clean socks... Whoever had been here, living in this house before the Pulse, they'd packed up their clothing and left... Leaving that poor doll here, all alone, guarding a now empty house...

Kari shook her head, slipping back out the door, locking it on her way out. The rest of the rooms, the young boy's room, and the parent's room, went very much the same. Nothing of immediate value. Nothing that would be of too much use than it would be of a hassle.

As Kari wandered back down the hall, bright blue eyes lingering longingly over the little girl's shut and locked bedroom door, Kari was startled from her semi-consciousness by Taka's voice. "Find anything?" It wasn't that her voice was bitter... It was just unexpected.

"No, nothing. Just those hoodies. How long have you been awake?" Kari gave Taka a sideways glance after seeing how well the fire had been kept.

"Half an hour, maybe a little more. We're almost out of wood. But you knew that, right?"

Kari nodded, "Yeah, but I could always try and get some from outside... There was that giant stack right beside the door. It wouldn't take much."

"True."

"Yeah, well, I'll ask Oddsworth about it later when he gets up."

Taka gave her an odd look, "He's up, he was looking for you."

Kari arched an eyebrow. "Really now." When Taka nodded, Kari asked: "Well then, where is the Odd-child. Maybe he'd like to fetch wood while I distract."

Taka shrugged. "Downstairs. He saw you in the little girl's room up here and said he'd take downstairs... I took kitchen. Everything usable is already on the counter."

"Thanks," said Kari with a wave, walking over to the door near the kitchen, "I'll go find him, then." She slipped the door open a crack, peeking down into the gloom. "Odd?" Her only answer was a loud groan. Kari scowled. "Oddsworth, what did you do."

"I fell," came the sorrow-laden reply. "Help me up? Pleeeeeease?"

Kari sighed, slowly stepping down the nearly rotted-through rungs of the ladder. "It's nasty down here. And it stinks-" She was cut off as her foot shot downwards through a completely rotted through rung. Nearly whimpering in fright, Kari clung to the railing.

Odd heard her frightened squeak and called loudly: "Kari? What happened?"

"Your stairs just nearly hung me!" Odd laughed, making Kari frown, "It's not funny!"

"Well, to you it's not. I find it, not funny, but hilarious! You should, too."

Kari scowled, yanking her foot upwards, "Screw you, Odd."

"Nah! I'm good."

Kari could barely hear her own words over Odd's insistent cackling, "Odd Della Robia, you're such a pervert..."

"Yeah, but Kari... You love me for it." Kari snorted to cover her laughter and slammed the door shut behind her. Then she called through it, "Nighty night, Oddsworth." She heard a muffled shout, but ignored it, cackling merrily to herself.

Taka was still on the couch, watching her with amused eyes. "Have fun?"

A glare. "You and him probably rigged that stair for it to break, no?" Her voice was sarcastic, but just enough for Taka to get her point.

"Oh, boy... That would have been fun."

"Uh huh," agreed Kari quickly, "And lover-boy down there didn't help a bit with his odd-ass cackling and laughing. I hope he falls again." As if mocking her words, a loud shout and a bone-jarring _CLATTER!_ was heard. Taka and Kari exchanged glances before breaking up into hysterical laughter.

* * *

Elle sighed softly, dabbing at the young male's wounds. "Jason, hey... Wake up, please?"Aelita, who was situated in the corner, poking at Ulrich's leg, turned to Elle, her eyes sad. 

"Elle, I think that if he was going to get up, he would have already."

Elle just smiled faintly at the pink-haired girl, tears at the corners of her eyes. "All I do is pretend that he's Taka or Kari... I'd never be able to let them go, so why let this one die, too?" Her reasoning, odd as it was, was right.

"Alright..." said Aelita with a soft sigh.

"Hey, Aelita." Elle glanced at her curiously, "How are my sisters?"

Aelita smiled sweetly, a smile of reassurance, "They're doing fine."

"D-do you think they'll ever be able to save us...?"

"Yeah. They will."

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:.**_

_**Silver**_: Well... School is finally out!!! YAY!! I'm happy, if you can't tell. Besides having more free time to write, I'll be able to post more, too! The original chapter I was going to post for this didn't meet my expectations... Thus why it took so long, I re-wrote this. It's probably shorter, but I like this chapter more than the previous.

I also expect to update Chapter five of Chinmoku no Angel, so please look for it before the weekend is over. Maybe even by tonight. Hollywood Movie should be updated soon, too... Just have a few snags to fix, then I'm all good.

_Hey, crazy lady! School's finally let me update! And, be it good or bad, Odd still lives! Hehehehe... Thank you so very much for reviewing! The review you sent, the **only** review sent, belonged to you...Wow, you deserve a prize? .:hands her an award:. Hope you like it!!_


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